The Founders: The Whole Story
by Gryffindor010697
Summary: Reading all of these Founders stories, they all seem pretty perfect and cookie-cutter. They meet, the idea sparks, and boom, there's a school. I'm trying to take a different (if not more entertaining) spin on the story. Enjoy and as I say for most of my stories, be brutal in the reviews!
1. Auror Turned Teacher

**I'm sure the Founders spoke in different languages other than Modern English. Hell, they might not have even spoken in English at all. I do know that I do not know how to write in Welsh or Gaelic so I'm writing this whole story in the modern way of speaking. I won't modernize the story itself but I will be modernizing the way they speak. Thanks for the understanding. **

Godric felt the heat as the green jet of light just missed his face. He parried just in time as an invisible force pushed Emeric the Evil backward into a boulder. The dark wizard felt the back of his head and found blood matting his hair. Godric stirred his wand toward the wizard and Emeric's wand was ejected from his hand. Godric caught it in midair.

Emeric looked defeated. He stood, wobbly due to his head injury. The wizard turned on the spot, Disapparating. Godric was perplexed. You needed a wand to Apparate, didn't you?

Godric heard the familiar POP behind him too late. He felt pressure on the hand that held Emeric's wand and it was wrenched away from him. Godric spun while unsheathing his sword. He clipped the dark wizard on the shoulder just as he Disapparated. There was a sharp pain in his side.

"Damn it all!" Godric yelled. He felt his side and there was a gash as long as his forearm. Emeric must've had his own sword hidden beneath his cloak. What a coward.

His wound was bleeding heavily and he thought it best to Apparate the short distance home and get healed up.

* * *

He walked into his house, ducking in the doorway, as his shorter father had built it years previous.

"Godric, did you finish him finally?" Ella asked her husband as he walked into their kitchen. She had bread baking on the mantle and she was preparing a stew in the fireplace. She turned t face her husband and she found his robes drenched in blood, his face white.

"No," he said as he sat at the dining table. His wife ran over to her husband. She pulled out her wand of oak and made quick work of reducing the bleeding. She walked to the shelf and looked through some potions. She picked u a particularly vile looking brown potion and handed it to her husband.

"Can I take it with some mead?" Godric asked.

"No, the less diluted the better," Ella said. She uncorked the potion and sat it in front of Godric.

He hesitated, and took the potion down in one quick gulp.

"Ugh," he protested.

Ella looked thoughtful for a moment and finally said, "I don't like you being an Auror, Godric. You are merely twenty four and you have a permanent limp. And all these scars." She finished healing her husband and placed her wand back on the table.

"Yes, yes, I know but I would be hard-pressed to find another job, Ella. The Wizard Council have me where I am for a reason." Godric began to undress from his bloody robes and placed them in a pile beside the table.

"Damn the Council, Godric. You're not going to come home one of these days. Think about Erik and Talia."

Godric twirled his beard hair. Seeing that she had made her husband consider her idea, she went for it, "Haven't you always wanted to teach?"

Godric looked up and stood, "Teaching is not the profession for men of my stature. My father was an Auror and his father before him."

Ella looked up into her husband's eyes, "Just consider it, Ric. Maybe you could help your cousin Helga at the school she is trying to build." Done with the subject, Godric walked to their bedroom, where he had a work area situated. He massaged his still sore side and thought about Ella's plea.

Satisfied in his thoughts, he summoned a quill. He began a letter to his cousin:

_Dearest Helga,_

_Ella and I are fine; well I am not quite fine. I was minorly injured in a fight with Emeric the Evil (his title was not given to him for no reason) and Ella is very worried about my safety. As am I, sometimes. _

_We were wondering how your school plans were going? As you know I once had an urge to teach at Durmstrang but their roots in the Dark Magics turned me away from the urge. _

_If need be, I am prepared to quit my assignment as an Auror to be a teacher (or preferably headmaster) at your school. _

_Your cousin,_

_Godric Gryffindor _

Godric folded the letter and stamped it with the wax seal of the Gryffindor lion. He let his owl from her cage and tied the letter to her.

"Let's see how this goes," Godric sighed as he let the owl go out of the window.


	2. I'm Not a Servant! I'm a Teacher

"These brats are irritating," Salazar complained to Anguis.

Anguis slithered toward his master. Salazar bent to receive his pet and Anguis slid onto his shoulder like a scarf. Salazar scuttled from his dormitory on Durmstrang's third floor. His bags were packed and his mind was especially made up. The term of Durmstrang had just started and these pompous, entitled terrors had gotten on his nerves. He made his way up the stairs to the seventh floor where the headmaster's office was. The castle was old and the steps crumbled in some places but the upper levels were quite new, the seventh floor being the newest and most modern one.

Headmaster Durmstrang met him on the stairs. "Salazar, you look vexed," Durmstrang observed.

"These children annoy me. I cannot say how many times I have been treated as if I am here to serve these wealthy brats."

"We are here to teach them, Salazar. And yes they are wealthy and they are used to ordering others around but this should be no problem. I am not forcing you to teach mixed-breeds or Mudbloods am I?" Durmstrang asked. His gray hair shimmered in the candlelight, making him look all the wiser and, in this instance, all the more right.

"I suppose," Salazar said. He let his trunk fall beside him, as he had it hovering behind as he made the trek up stairs.

"And besides, I pay you a healthy sum to work here. Where else in this forsaken country can you teach young Wizards for pay?" Durmstrang further suggested. He clasped his younger friend on the shoulder and walked off down the stairs, no doubt to a class.

"Fine," Salazar said to no one in particular, perhaps to the snake around his neck. He slowly made his way back to his dormitory and sat on his bed, slightly defeated. He did love teaching, sure enough, but he was not to be treated as a second-class citizen just because he didn't have as much money as some of these children's fathers.

"What shall I do, Anguis?" Salazar asked. He lay back onto his bed and allowed the serpent to slither onto the floor. There was a pecking at the window of his room.

Salazar stood (with some difficulty as his back was not what it used to be when he was twenty years old) and waved his wand at the window. The glass disappeared and he allowed the owl in. It was a beautiful tawny owl, one he had seen before. He looked at the wax seal that appeared to be a badger. The letter read:

_Salazar,_

_I am practically groveling for you to join me here. You are the best Transfigurer I have seen and I would not have anyone else teaching the pupils I plan on accepting into this school. Of course, since you will be a teacher you can partly choose who we let in, as I know you are quite weary off the spoiled children you teach. Please reconsider my offer to pay you TWICE what Aleksandar Durmstrang is paying you. _

_Yours truly,_

_Helga Hufflepuff_

Salazar smiled at the offer. Talk about fate. He was entirely too excited to search for parchment so he took a quill and inkwell he kept by his bed, turned the parchment on it's back and wrote a large 'YES!' He didn't bother with the wax seal and he tied the letter back on the owl's leg with the same twine Helga used. He set the owl out of the window, conjured the glass back in place and ran from his room, in search of old Durmstrang again. And this time, he was actually going to quit.


	3. Old Friends and a New Job

"Aye, wench, another ale," called a brute from the other end of the bar.

Rowena rolled her stormy-dark eyes and made her way over to the end of the bar. She filled the mug and fought the urge to spit in the man's drink.

"Here you are m'lord," Rowena said in her best imitation of a subservient woman.

The brutish man patted the witch on her backside and she went for her wand, which was snuggled against her side, under her cloak. Then she remembered that hexing this man would get her fired and, unfortunately, she needed this job. Her father's debt had fell onto her when he died.

She was wiping down tables when a familiar voice called her back over to the bar. She walked around the bar to find a short, stocky redhead woman wearing a travelling cloak. She lifted her head and Rowena recognized her as her old friend Helga Hufflepuff.

"Helga!" Rowena yelled as she ran to the opposite side of the bar.

The two hugged (Rowena had to bend because she was about two heads taller than her friend) and Rowena called to her boss that she was taking a break and the old wizard waved her on.

"We're going to have plenty time to catch up, so I'm going to get down to the petitioning," she said. The two sat at a table.

"My grandfather died last month," Helga began as a preamble.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Rowena said. She sympathized with her friend, with her father's recent death and all.

"I'm not, he was a wretched old bastard. Stingier than a hippogriff with a piece of meat," Helga said. Rowena laughed at the simile. Helga always did have the funniest way of saying things.

"Which is why I was surprised when he left me a huge parcel of land, near here in fact. Do you know those ruins, right down the path from here?"

"Yeah, it was an old baron's castle," Rowena said with assurance as she was very keen on history. And most other subjects.

"Well he was Baron Hufflepuff my great-great, so on and so forth, grandfather. I thought the old codger left it to me as his final joke but in his will he said that he knew how I wanted to start a school for young wizards and he figured I could use the land as basis for the school."

"Well good luck cleaning that mess up. It's like a canker wart on Hogsmeade Village," Rowena said with a laugh.

Helga's eyes glazed over, "Wart… Hogsmeade. Hmm."

"What?" Rowena asked.

"Oh nothing, but I am here to ask you a question. To make a proposion rather."

"And…" Rowena egged her on.

"I know you know more about potions and herbs than the average witch and it would be lovely if-,"

"Yes! I would love to teach at the school. This place is horrid," Rowena said. She undid her apron and left it on the table, "Frederik, I resign," Rowena called over her shoulder as she hustled Helga out of the The Hog's Head.

Helga was surprised at her friend's willingness to join her cause. The two walked the path toward the ruins of the old castle arm in arm.


	4. To Whom It May Concern: HELP!

Helga thanked her lucky stars that she had found Rowena when she did. Since the young redhead had found out the land was hers, she had been sleeping in a tent on the grounds of (and this was a working name, nothing was set in stone yet) Hogwarts. Rowena's cabin on the outskirts of Hogsmeade was very comfortable in comparison to a straw-stuffed bag.

She had taken up at Rowena's desk for the past four hours, writing letters. Her first one had been to her (hopeful) Transfiguration teacher, Salazar. He had been working at Durmstrang but she knew for a fact that he despised the school. Her next letter was to Gwenifer Trelawney, a Seer. She wanted to offer a Divination class and Gwen would be a welcome teacher. Before she could start on her third letter, Rowena awoke and strode into the room.

"What are you doing?" the tall woman asked as she folded in on herself to sit on the ground.

"Appealing to people's better sides," Helga said while writing (this one to Blake Knight, a Magizoologist).

"Oh, so you're kissing ass?" Rowena asked with a smile. The two laughed and were soon interrupted by a sharp tap on the window. Rowena stood and walked to the window to find a snowy owl waiting on the sill. She opened the window, took the letter, and fed the owl some nuts she had in a bowl on the desk for messenger owls. Of course they never really ate them, just waited and stared at the nut until they grew bored and left.

Rowena studied the envelope. The seal was of a scarlet lion. "Wasn't your mother a Gryffindor?"

"Yes, why?" Helga asked. She eyed the envelope. "Oh, it's Godric," Helga said.

"Who?" Rowena said. Helga stood and took the letter away from her friend.

"My mother's brother's son. He's an Auror and he writes occasionally and I humor him. He is a pompous jackass. You and he wouldn't… well maybe you would get along," Helga corrected.

Rowena playfully kicked at Helga and sat, again, on the floor. Helga opened the envelope and scanned the letter.

"Oh… no," Helga said.

"What?" Rowena asked.

"He wants to work at Ho… the school," Helga said, "'preferably as a headmaster,'" Helga quoted.

"Well let him. Well no the headmaster part. But you're desperate and he's an Auror," Rowena said. She began to pick her nails, something she did when the problem at hand had a very obvious answer and the other person couldn't see it.

"Yes, and?"

"Aurors are the best duelers and charmists there are. You need someone with that much experience," Rowena said.

Helga mulled it over and finally said, "Okay, but if he begins to irritate me, I will be sending him your way."

"A man, I can handle," she boasted.

"As I stated before, he is no man. He is an ass," Helga said. The two locked eyes and were consumed with mad giggles.


	5. The Birth of the Hat (and Hogwarts)

"IS THIS IT!?" Helga yelled aloud to no one in particular. She was sitting on a conjured, throne-like chair and in front of her stood tall Rowena Ravenclaw, broad Godric Gryffindor, and stout Salazar Slytherin.

"I'm insulted," Godric said looking away from his cousin.

"Aw, shut-up, Ric," Helga said, "You all are plenty but," and she turned, "Look at this school. It's huge," she said.

The three looked behind her at the (mostly) repaired castle. It stood seven stories high and very broad. It included numerous turrets and towers and even an owlrey. A large chunk of the middle of the castle was gutted out, as it had caved in and the floor and walls were unsalvageable. Rowena was working on a system of staircases that would fill in the empty space.

"Yes it is very huge, we do need more teachers," Salazar said, "How are we to control all of the students you claim to have lying-in-wait?"

Helga rolled her eyes at the obvious jab at her promises, "I don't know, Salazar. I did expect at least ten teachers. Maybe we can shrink the numbers down?"

"Preposterous," Godric said. He began to pace in front of his colleagues with an air of importance, "I say we shall all be responsible for a group of our student's education."

He began to finger the hilt of his sword, "Each of us will take students who we'd enjoy teaching, ones with similar ambitions to our own, that way everyone will get along," he said. He smiled at each of them and in return they stared.

"Now _that's_ preposterous," Salazar sneered. Godric's smile drooped. "How do you expect to find students with similar ambition? Do you Auror's have mind-reading abilities us commoners know not?"

"Actually, Salazar, I'm not sure that that would be impossible," Rowena spoke up. She looked down her sloped nose at Slytherin.

The older man rolled his eyes, "Is that so?"

"No need to be condescending," she said, "There are enchantments that could be applied to objects that could discern mental capabilities. Intellect, bravery, skills, and other things could be weeded out of a person's head."

"What about blood purity?" Slytherin asked. Godric stopped pacing and Rowena and Helga looked at him slack-jawed.

"Surely you are joking?" Rowena spoke up.

"Why would I, dear?" he said, "I would rather not teach Mudbloods, in fact, I refuse."

"Mudbloods!? How _dare_ you! My mother was a Muggle-born witch and she could charm circles around you," Helga yelled. She had hopped up from her seat with her hand on her wand.

Salazar looked unfazed, though his hand was at his hip, ready to grasp his wand, "No need to yell. I am not saying you can't teach the Mudbloods, but-," Salazar was pushed to the ground. He found himself on his back with Rowena straddling him.

"Your terminology offends my friend. You would do better to never utter that disgusting word while you are in her, my, or any of our students' presences. If you would like to continue using that word, feel free to hop on the fastest broomstick back to Durmstrang."

"Not that I don't appreciate the lecture, but the way you present it is rather distracting," he said, regarding to her position on top of him. Rowena scoffed in disgust and quickly stood over him. Helga was no longer shaking in rage, but her plump face was still red.

"As I was saying," he said as he brushed is clothes off, "I would rather teach students of pure… full Wizard heritage. I feel they are most deserving of my attention and I won't give any to the… others."

"I have no room in my plans to send you away and you are an excellent teacher, so I will not dismiss you and I understand your… parameters," Helga said calmly.

"Thank you," he said with a smirk on his face.

She disregarded him, "Rowena would you be willing to put your enchantment on an object?"

"Of course," she said, "But the enchantment would work best on something that touches the head. Maybe a diadem or a crown?"

"I'm sure most young men would find it most uncomfortable placing a tiara on their heads," Godric spoke up. Rowena nodded. Then Helga's eyes brightened.

"I have my grandmother's old had in my closet at home," Helga said. She lifted her wand, "_Accio _hat," she said.

Sure enough, only a minute later, a small dot appeared overhead. The dot grew larger into a circular shape and the circle floated down right onto Helga's head.

"Oh, it's wretched." Rowena said as she dusted the hat off, then she waved her wand at it, cleaning it off a bit.

"Well no one has worn it since my grandmother, Hephzibah." Helga said.

"Fair enough," she said, "This will do nicely." She placed the hat on her head and tapped her wand on it.

If Helga had not been watching the hat, she wouldn't have seen the large rip near the brim move. She wouldn't have noticed two smaller holes near the point blink, as a newborn baby blinks when its eyes meet light for the first time.

"Oh my," Helga said, she jumped backwards. The men looked at her with confusion and Rowena smiled.

"Well we need him to talk, don't we?" she said. With a smile, she placed the hat on Helga's head. Instantly she heard a voice.

"_Ms. Hufflepuff how are you_?"

"_Err… fine."_ She thought. She felt talking aloud wasn't necessary.

"_It isn't necessary at all. Your Ms. Ravenclaw is a very smart witch."_

_"Yes, I know."_

"Okay, Helga," Rowena said, "As you can see, the Hat can read your mind. He can also read your thoughts, your ambitions, your skills, your weaknesses and your wants. I know it sounds very intrusive but secrecy is a given for the enchantment," Rowena said.

"Very true, m'lady_,"_ the Hat agreed aloud, shocking Godric and Salazar who had been steeped in confusion for the past couple of minutes.

"So all I must do is think about all of those things?" Helga asked.

"You already have," the Hat said, "Next, victim."

"I see the Hat has your wit, Rowena," Godric said as he placed the Hat on his head as best he could. His mane of hair did not help the process.

Rowena genuinely smiled, adoring her creation. After a couple of minutes, all of the founders' mental ability and qualities were instilled into the Hat, who sat on Rowena's head, humming.

"What's the next step?" Rowena asked Helga, "How would you like to continue with your school."

"Three points," she said, almost instantly, "One, from now on out, this castle and its ground are _our_ school. We are the teachers the founders, the runners, and the groundskeepers until word gets out. We _are_ the school. Which brings me to my second point, I like Hogwarts as a name. A very judgmental witch once said that these grounds were a wart on Hogsmeade so we shall take that in stride and represent ourselves as such," she looked in each of their eyes. Rowena smiled back at her, Godric was indifferent and Salazar looked like he wanted to protest, but thought better of it.

"Point, three. We need to open soon. The sooner we get these children sorted and taught the more students that will come next school term. Speaking of school term, Salazar when does Durmstrang begin school?"

"The term begins on September 1."

"Good, so shall we." She said, decisively, "That gives us a little under six months to do as we planned. I say we get to work."


	6. The House-Elf Dilemma

**This is pretty short and I apologize. I just wanted to further develop the characters and their attitudes towards certain things (i.e. house-elf equality). More to come today. **

"We _are_ opening tomorrow," Helga said. She smoothed her copper hair back and fixed it into a bun.

"Helga, the school is simply not ready," Rowena said. The two were going up the stairs that Rowena herself had orchestrated.

"These are a tad confusing dear," Helga said as she stepped onto a landing, double-checking her position in the school.

"That's the whole point," Rowena corrected. She placed her friend back on one of the staircases just as it began to sail in the opposite direction.

"Okay, so why aren't we opening tomorrow?" Helga asked.

"Because in approximately twenty hours, we are going to be responsible for fifty-four prepubescent boys and girls and we haven't even set up the proper dormitories, nor do we have _anyway_ to feed said children," Rowena explained. At this point they were at Godric's office door. Just before Helga knocked, she heard Godric say, "Come in."

The two strode in to find Salazar and Godric mid-conference.

"Since when can you see through doors, Ric?" Helga asked as she took a seat beside Salazar, in front of Godric's desk. Rowena sat on the arm of her chair.

"Not see, Helga, hear. I heard Rowena's argument since she said 'prepubescent boys and girls'. Of course, she is right, Helga. The dormitories will be a problem. And the food-," Godric started.

"Will be no problem if we do as I discussed," Salazar spoke up. He stroked his beard.

"No, we will not," Godric stated, short and simply.

"Will not what?" Helga and Rowena asked in unison.

"Employ house-elves," Godric said.

"'Employ' implies that we pay them," Salazar said, with a smirk.

"Absolutely not," Rowena said.

"Exactly, Rowena thank you." Godric said. They all looked at Helga, who was biting her lips.

"Helga?" Rowena asked.

"Yes?" she answered.

"What is your opinion," she asked.

"My opinion," she said, "is that we need some way to feed these children, and considering that we are going to be swamped in classes, none of us can be in the kitchens all day, cooking."

"Helga!" Godric said, "Our grandparents own many elves and you see how they are treated!"

"Yes, I do. All the more reason we should use them. Them exactly. We will buy them off of our grandparents and treat them with excellent housing and great care," Helga said.

Salazar scoffed.

"That is an idea, cousin," Godric said, "I can Apparate there now. How much do you think they will want?"

"Well considering that you are their favorite grandchild, very little," Helga said. She tossed a small sack of Galleons at Godric. He smiled and left the office.


	7. Well, This Progressed Quickly

**Four Months Later**

"I'm glad we decided to send them home for Yule celebrations," Salazar said. He sat in an overstuffed chair in Godric's office, feet rested on the mahogany desk.

"As am I," Rowena said. She sat very near Salazar and Helga took notice.

"I'm sure you two would love to be without the presence of children," Godric said with a small smile.

Helga laughed.

"Whatever do you mean, Ric?" Salazar asked.

"Nothing, Salazar. It has just been apparent that Rowena and yourself enjoy each other's company."

"Well, yes," Rowena said, "but no more than you enjoy Helga's."

Helga made a retching noise while Godric's smile twisted into a disgusted grimace.

Rowena laughed, "I know what you two are hinting at, and I don't find it amusing."

"Neither do I," Salazar said.

"Fine, we shall not talk about your budding relationship." Helga said. She stood and said, "I'm going to bed. We have a long day of grading essays ahead of us."

"Very true. And the essays will be more extensive next semester. Fifty more eleven-year-olds have signed up for the roster."

"Ugh. Joy," Rowena said sarcastically.

Godric stood and made his way up the staircase that led to his bedroom. Salazar and Rowena took heed and left the office, making their way toward the grand staircase to part ways.

"They know," Rowena said.

"Yes," Salazar said.

"Do you care?" Rowena asked.

"No," he said.

"Your room or mine?"

"My room is closer."

* * *

"Rowena this is getting ridiculous. You have no fever. You aren't sweating. You _are_ pregnant," Helga said as she held her friend's long dark mane of hair as she emptied the contents of her stomach into a basin.

"No," she said as she wiped her mouth, "That is not possible."

"Isn't it?" Helga asked. "Why lie to me Rowena? I know about you and Salazar. You know I know about you and Salazar. Why lie?"

"I… I…" she began to sob.

Helga held her friend, because in the end, that's all she could do.

"The children are noticing," Rowena said as she draped her blue robes around her ever-expanding stomach.

"The children, especially your children, are very perceptive for their ages. Twelve isn't too young to know about pregnancy. Have you told Salazar?" Helga asked. She grabbed more fabric from Rowena's bed and magically set her needle to work, sewing bigger robes for her friend.

"No. I don't plan on it," Rowena said decisively.

"Rowena. You are a very smart woman. You obviously know in a little less than five months-,"

"Yes, Helga, I am perfectly aware. I will tell him as soon as he asks me. Surely he sees my broadening waist. Surely he sees my spreading feet. Right?"

"Men are quite stupid."

The two girls laughed.

* * *

"Salazar!" Rowena yelled.

"Yes?" he asked. He looked up at this woman who was much taller than he was. He was on his knee so the height difference was much more apparent.

"Are you serious?" she asked. Rowena was never one to gush but she was doing so now.

"Quite. You are the mother of my future child, and you are the woman I love. Why wouldn't I be serious?"

"Yes. The answer is yes," she held out her left hand. Salazar tapped his wand upon her finger and a gold band materialized. He then tapped the band and a sapphire gem sprouted in the middle of the ring.

Rowena, the one who never gushes, cried as she hugged her new fiancé.


End file.
